Simple Portobello Burger

Apologies for the abundance of road trip posts lately! I had so much I wanted to record and share, for those of you who are interested but also for Mike and I to be able to look back on years from now when our memories of our honeymoon have faded. Thanks for putting up with all of them and I promise to be back into my regular weekly reviews, recipes, book reviews, and the like!



Although I am truly a great lover of food, sometimes I find myself in a gastronomic funk. The same meals just seem to repeat themselves over and over in my kitchen no matter how many exotic grocery stores I go to or unusual ingredients I purchase.

I was recently in one such slump and turned to some old food magazines in the hopes of finding something delicious and innovative to break out of the string of Italian pasta dishes and gourmet sandwiches that were dominating my diet. And I came across the portabello burger. Not an entirely foreign concept (in fact, it could be considered another take on the gourmet sandwich) but a relatively novel and absolutely delicious one for me!

This vegetarian burger couldn't be easier to prepare and the results are surprisingly delicious for such little effort. I buffed up my burger with sliced avocado, caramelized red onion, and roasted red peppers, but give whatever suits your fancy a try! The variety of flavors I chose were dictated by what I had on hand but they complimented my burger perfectly!

Simple Portobello Burger

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced in rounds
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 2 kaiser rolls (any variety of roll will do!)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted red pepper slices
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat a grill pan or large frying pan over medium to low heat. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and add sliced red onion. Salt and sprinkle with granulated sugar and allow to caramelize about 10 minutes.

2. Remove stems and gills from mushrooms. Brush tops and bottoms with remaining olive oil and add to grill pan. Season with salt and pepper.  

3. Cook portabellos for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. 

4. Arrange mushroom burgers on rolls with avocado, caramelized onions, and roasted red peppers. Enjoy!

*I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. I was a bit rushed in capturing this dish and realized just how much I sacrificed quality for my impatience only when viewing them on my computer!